Close Topic Options

So Many Wives & Concubines

So Many Wives & Concubines

Why were some people in the Bible allowed to have So Many Wives & Concubines?

Concubines and Wives So

In all cultures in the world, except for Greece and Rome (and their descendants today), polygyny was acceptable, and even encouraged. This meant that men who had the means to support more than one wife, and her children, were expected to do so.

Concubines were/are "lesser" wives. They are legal wives, but have less rights in the marriage. The children of concubines usually don't have the same inheritance rights as the children of legal wives.

Many of the men in the Bible, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon, were quite wealthy, and very able to support multiple wives.

So Many Wives & Concubines Revealed Bible The

Passages of interest about wives and concubines.
I believe this may be the first passage mentioning the taking of wives, as many as they wished.

It appears that Nahor was the first man mentioned in the Bible to have a concubine. Abraham's brother's wife bore eight sons to Nahor. But,

King David was very well able to support all the women he wanted.

But his son refined it down to a science. King Solomon was a lover of a magnitude far beyond his fathers imagination. He was involved with the Pharaoh's daughter. He also loved the women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and the daughters of the Hethites. But God had given orders:

There are stories in the Old Testament too numerous to mention all of them, but these are the ones I found most interesting. Yes, it was the custom of the day and those men that could took advantage.

Concubines and Wives So

Multiple marriages was a common part of life in ancient times. It is only frowned on now because society has adopted monogamy. It was quite normal for a man with a lot of wealth to have many wives and maid servants to care for and it was even sanctioned by the heavens too.